4 Recipes in 4 minutes!

by Barry Lewis

Ingredients

‘Fried cheese croutons’

250g Apetina cheese, drained

1 egg

1 tsp oregano

8 tbsp plain flour

2 tbsp olive oil

freshly ground black pepper

Triple cheese dip

110g Apetina cheese

3 cloves of garlic , minced

50g Mozzarella, grated

50g Cheddar, grated

60ml passata

Flatbread / tortilla chips

Pizza

Pizza Dough (already made)

Apetina cheese (crumble)

1tbsp tomato sauce

Yellow Pepper, sliced into matchsticks

Handful Spinach leaves

2 small onions, chopped in strips

1tbsp Sugar

1tbsp olive oil

1tbsp butter

Lemon & Lime Cheesecake

12 Ginger biscuits

110g melted butter

225gApetina

225g cream cheese

120ml double cream

2 eggs

150g caster sugar

2tbsp plain flour

Lemon zest

Juice of lime

1 Tsp Vanilla extract

2 tbsp Lemon curd (warm in microwave briefly)

Lime zest to garnish on curd

I was challenged by the folks at Apetina to make some surprising results using their cheese cubes. Now not being a massive fan of most cheeses, I took this as a big challenge and had a go at making 4 different recipes and shot the recipe top down style to show you all 4 in 4 minutes! Here’s the basic steps to make any of them…. Apetina is quite similar to Feta but more creamy, I was really a big fan of the cheesecake particularly but they were all awesome!

‘Fried cheese croutons’
Drain cubes of Apetina and pat dry
Beat egg with oregano. Mix flour with the ground black pepper.
Dip cubes in egg, shake off excess, and coat in flour.
Heat olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Quickly cook cheese in oil until golden, turning once.
Pour onto kitchen roll. Squeeze lemon juice on if you wish to serve.

Triple cheese dip
Preheat oven at 400/gas 6/ 200c /180 fan
Crumble cheese into dish, covering the entire bottom of the dish.
Sprinkle the minced garlic on top.
Spoon the tomato sauce, covering the entire cheese and garlic mixture
Mix mozzarella & cheddar layer on top of the tomato sauce.
Bake it in the oven for 15 minutes, or until the cheese is melted.
Place croutons on top made as per above if making.
Serve it warm with a side of flatbread or tortilla chips.

Pizza
Oven to gas mark 8/450f/230c/210fan
Warm frying pan, add oil and butter melt butter.
Add onions, fry 10 mins until lightly golden.
Add sugar for last couple minutes and stir to caramelise. Remove from heat.
Make pizza base / roll out / shape.
Spoon on tomato sauce, then scatter onion mixture, peppers and spinach leaves on top.
Crumble on apetina cheese.
Bake til charred roughly 8 minutes.
Drizzle olive oil to finish and serve!

Lemon & Lime Feta Cheesecake
Bash ginger biscuits, add melted butter, mix, press into a tin and form into crust with a lip. Bake crust for 10 minutes at 350 /gas 4/ 180c / 160 fan
In food processor, add the apetina, cream – process, until it begins to get smooth.
Add in Cream cheese & continue to process
Add eggs, lime juice, vanilla and lemon zest and process until blended.
Add in flour and sugar and process until all is incorporated and mixture is smooth and creamy*
Pour mixture into cooled tart shell and bake at for about 20 minutes, keep an eye on the cheesecake, do not let it get too dark or crack.
Once at room temp spoon on warmed lemon curd and lime zest, chill.